Square, Disney and Japanese Pop Star Collaborate on “Kingdom Hearts”
LOS ANGELES (Busniess Wire) -- Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. and Disney Interactive announced today that Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2 will feature a theme song sung by a Japanese pop sensation Utada Hi-karu. The theme song is titled "Simple And Clean." An action role-playing game, Kingdom Hearts is a joint pro-ject between Square and Disney Interactive. The title not only features many classic Disney characters and worlds, but also introduces new characters and environments created in the renowned Square style. Featuring more than 100 Disney characters, Kingdom Hearts also introduces new Disney characters -- Sora, Riku, Kairi and the Heartless -- designed by Square's Tetsuya Nomura, director and character designer. Nomura is best known for his creations in the breakthrough titles Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X. Utada, one of the top-selling artists in Japan, lends her talents for the first time in a video game. "Simple And Clean" is the English version of its original release "Hikari" (meaning "light"), which was featured in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts. "Hikari," released as a single in March 2002 in Japan, has sold over 860,000 copies as of August 14, 2002. Utada, who has fans of all ages, continues to dominate the charts in Japan and is on the verge of break-ing through to the American audience. Kingdom Hearts is scheduled to ship to retailers nationwide on Sep-tember 17, 2002. The title has garnered much praise and won several Editors' awards within the gaming community.
LOS ANGELES (Busniess Wire) -- Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. and Disney Interactive announced today that Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2 will feature a theme song sung by a Japanese pop sensation Utada Hi-karu. The theme song is titled "Simple And Clean." An action role-playing game, Kingdom Hearts is a joint pro-ject between Square and Disney Interactive. The title not only features many classic Disney characters and worlds, but also introduces new characters and environments created in the renowned Square style. Featuring more than 100 Disney characters, Kingdom Hearts also introduces new Disney characters -- Sora, Riku, Kairi and the Heartless -- designed by Square's Tetsuya Nomura, director and character designer. Nomura is best known for his creations in the breakthrough titles Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X. Utada, one of the top-selling artists in Japan, lends her talents for the first time in a video game. "Simple And Clean" is the English version of its original release "Hikari" (meaning "light"), which was featured in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts. "Hikari," released as a single in March 2002 in Japan, has sold over 860,000 copies as of August 14, 2002. Utada, who has fans of all ages, continues to dominate the charts in Japan and is on the verge of break-ing through to the American audience. Kingdom Hearts is scheduled to ship to retailers nationwide on Sep-tember 17, 2002. The title has garnered much praise and won several Editors' awards within the gaming community.
